I had a last minute opportunity to participate in a photo shoot in a wonderful old garage in downtown Sacramento with two great (and very handsome) guys and a beautiful woman. Two other photographers also grabbed the opportunity and we all met down at the garage, which was heavily graffiti laden.  There were four huge doors opening into this garage which allowed wonderful, natural light in to the otherwise dark interior. The gentleman above, John, was covered in tattoos, which went quite well with the graffiti.

This is Jonathan and I’ve shot him before, a couple of years ago in Napa.  The garage also provided a wonderful backdrop for him, with his blue eyes and well-built frame. Yes ladies, you can swoon and be envious over my good fortune being able to photograph these men.

John, above, is also a cage fighter.  I don’t know too much about cage fighting except that I understand it can be brutal.  However, John was one of the nicest men I have met in a very long time. He had never participated in a photo shoot before, but he was very natural and easy to work with.

We had a bit of fun with the whole fight scene.  The light was so pretty behind them and the graffiti matched very well with the scene.

As it began to get a bit darker, we decided to go down to Old Town Sacramento to get a couple of sunset shots.  It was a beautiful evening and the subject matter was equally beautiful.

This gal was a gymnast and we thought she looked great in evening clothes with the lights of the Tower Bridge behind her.  She was a delight.

If you would like to have your portrait done for beautiful photos worthy of hanging on your walls, please contact me at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net or 530-647-8120.

Last weekend I was out with a bunch of really good photog and model friends at the Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, CA. We were having a wonderful time shooting pretty people and using different gear and socializing.  One of the photogs is my friend Todd Petrik of Todd Petrik Photography.  While we were there he asked if I could take a couple of pics of him for his business and a pic or two of his family for his Christmas Pictures.  Needless to say I was highly honored and did not have to be asked twice. Here are some of the pics I took for him.

Mark Behrens coaches one of Todd’s daughters

And finally, a Christmas card designed by Sierra Springs Photography and Natalie Designs.  There’s still time to set up your family mini-shoot for Christmas Cards.

I mentioned that I had attended a workshop and portfolio building photoshoot for models and aspiring models a couple of weeks ago on a rice farm in Williams, CA.  Here’s a little bit of behind the scenes and a little bit of my finished product.

Or, go here for full screen: Workshop on a Rice Farm

It was a long day, but great fun!

If you like what you see and you would like to have some great looking photos like these, send me an email at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net and we can set you up!

By the Light of the Moon

Everyone knows you have to have an end of summer celebration every year. I’m not sure why you would want to celebrate the end of summer, but everyone knows that you need one last fling, before the dogs days of summer are gone.

I spent the day last Sunday at a beautiful home in Auburn, CA, with a bunch of photographers and people who wanted to be photographed.  Some of the people were new and novices.  Some of the people were accomplished photogs and/or models.  Here are some of the pics I took that hot summer day.

 There were many, many more opportunities to shoot both people and backgrounds, but I just ran out of time.  Hopefully I will be able to photograph this gorgeous home again with more fun people who are up for an adventure.

And finally, because of the thousands of requests I’ve received (?), here’s a peek into what the photographed are forced to look at while they are trying to be beautiful.  If I had to look at all this, it would be tough to keep a straight face.

Happy End of Summer!

Our last day in hot Redding was spent at a concrete factory and then back for more instruction on Photoshop techniques at HDR Imaging in Redding.

I have never been to a concrete factory, let alone doing a photo shoot there.  It was great fun with lots of great backgrounds and interesting shapes and textures.

I saw a bunch of forms along the outside wall of the other building that looked like picture frames. So, I wanted to get them in the background of the above picture. Rachael was quite cooperative and even got a little dirty so that I could get the background that I wanted.

Here’s Rachael again against a different backdrop.  There was great light coming in from the door next to her that made her hair positively glow.

Here’s a few more from the shoot that I really liked.

And finally, we decided to spray some water around and use our flashes to see what would happen.  It was fun!

I wouldn’t mind going there again next time I’m in Redding…

I need to find some fun places like this here in El Dorado County.

Laura met me at the El Dorado Hills Town Center for a photo shoot.  She was going to meet with a potential agent and need some portfolio shots.  She is a delightful young woman with gorgeous red hair that I wanted to highlight.

In the above photo we placed her against a rustic redwood background and used a simple black bench for her to sit on.

Placing her against the sky not only emphasized her red hair, but it also highlighted her beautiful blue eyes.

Here, she changed into a new outfit.  We placed her near some columns and a dark background.  This background made her stand out.

She has beautiful, long, lean lines which I wanted to emphasize with the angle of the stair railing and use of the strong architectural lines in the background.

Here she is showing off her curves.

If you want to set up a mini shoot with our studio, send us an email at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net.  Included in the price is one hour of shooting, one location, one outfit and your choice of 5 edited high resolution photos to download from your personal gallery.  Price…$85.00.  I promise it will be fast and fun.

What a great time we had in Napa Valley this weekend.  The whole weekend was devoted to photography.  Saturday was spent studying landscape photography with the help of landscape photographer Dean Gufstason.  I learned so much from him.  He is an excellent photographer (click on his name to go to his web page) and was extremely helpful and kind.

Sunday, we journeyed up to the private Behren’s Family Winery where we literally had the run of the place.  I have lots of photos to edit, but I’ve put a few here for your enjoyment.

I’ll probably do a little slideshow later on and I may add some more to the blog by way of a light box, or something.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun.  Thanks to Mark Behrens for putting the whole thing together.  Disneyland for photographers, indeed.

I had the pleasure and honor of photographing a wonderful family this past weekend.  I’ve known Steve Batz for a couple of years mostly because we are both photographers and I’ve shot with him several times. I’ve known him to be a kind, good humored, low-key personality, who happens to be an excellent photographer.  However, when you put him together with the three beautiful women in his life, his personality blossoms.  I spent a sunny afternoon with them in a park nearby their home and they were all kinds of fun. You can tell by looking at these photos that they are a fun-loving family who enjoy being together.

I put together a quick slideshow or our shoot.  Enjoy.

Thanks, Batz family, for letting me spend a few hours capturing your unique family personality.  It was an honor.

UPDATED 2/4/11

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to participate in a photo shoot involving beautiful women, handsome men and guns in a lovely old building in Downtown Sacramento.  I am in the midst of processing the photos, but here’s a sample of the fun we had.  I brought my  youngest son with me to help shlep my gear.  He’s 17, so he was happy to go along, see all the great guns they brought and, of course, see some pretty girls.  He even got himself involved in a shot or two.

It was a great day.  Many thanks goes to Mark Behrens, who put the shoot together through his business, Lookpw.com.

Thanks also goes to Shooters Paradise, the men and women who came to model and allow me to get some great shots.

This slide show is the whole event from beginning to end and replaces the sample slide show.  I’ve added a short clip of video to make this a photo fusion slide show.